Glenn Beck loves the Goooooolldddd

[BabylonHoruv]

I was being funny, but I wasn't really kidding.  We're like magpies, we love shiny things.  It's the real reason lustrous metals and gems are considered some of the hallmarks of wealth.

We ascribe magical properties to them, too.  Crystal power? 

Yeah, my soul just naturally resonates with things that are worth a lot of money. 

There is at least some grain of truth to crystal magic though.  If you shine light through the right sort of crystal it is transformed into a searing beam of death that can cut through stuff and light things on fire.

That's almost AD&D throwing fireballs level of magic.

[Jasper]

I've heard of this, but the person talking about it wasn't very coherent.

[Remington]

I've heard of this, but the person talking about it wasn't very coherent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_yhi_fy-Q0
1:12 in particular.

[Jasper]

Still though, people don't sleep with lasers under their pillows in hopes of getting some sort of spiritual payoff.

Maybe they should, at that.

I love fresnel lenses, and want many. 

[Cain]

You know, in the event of an infrastructure collapse, commodities like food, clothing, and tools would probably be more useful, and therefore more valued, than sparkly metal.

Yes.  you are definitely right.
right after collapse, there wont be a whole lot of 'medium of exchange' type economy.  it will be barter for the most part.
this was shown in various collapses.  the one i can think of is argentina.
but according to the FerFal blog (a fellow that lives down there), it quickly became apparent that those that were the best off were those that had a trusted medium of exchange, that being gold.  After an initial phase of get what you need by hook or by crook, then there will have to be some form of money.
what would you be willing to accept, that you are pretty sure everyone else would accept?

In the Soviet Union, alcohol, scrap iron, hot water and denim jeans were the most traded commodities.  At least three of those would seem to apply to the USA as well (Rolex watches or something may replace jeans - whatever is considered a high status clothing item which is easily portable right now would be the most likely contender).

[BabylonHoruv]

You know, in the event of an infrastructure collapse, commodities like food, clothing, and tools would probably be more useful, and therefore more valued, than sparkly metal.

Yes.  you are definitely right.
right after collapse, there wont be a whole lot of 'medium of exchange' type economy.  it will be barter for the most part.
this was shown in various collapses.  the one i can think of is argentina.
but according to the FerFal blog (a fellow that lives down there), it quickly became apparent that those that were the best off were those that had a trusted medium of exchange, that being gold.  After an initial phase of get what you need by hook or by crook, then there will have to be some form of money.
what would you be willing to accept, that you are pretty sure everyone else would accept?

In the Soviet Union, alcohol, scrap iron, hot water and denim jeans were the most traded commodities.  At least three of those would seem to apply to the USA as well (Rolex watches or something may replace jeans - whatever is considered a high status clothing item which is easily portable right now would be the most likely contender).

You might have trouble storing hot water.  Scrap Iron is heavy.  Alcohol though, that's easily portable and keeps forever.